Sliding door latch with dead lock



April 18, 1961 F. J. RUSSELL SLIDING DOOR LATCH WITH DEAD LOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed May 11, 1959 0 a flfl a m 3 i a m W /m u 0% x L J 5 0 m F m. r z flfl x 7 a a 2 m 7 javwvww3 a 4M 5 o 0 3 pa. w f x a w 2 n a 1% 4 fnx a 0 6 a E J x 7 17 M 0 m1 F. 0 0 aw J a j m April 18, 1961 F. J. RUSSELL SLIDING DOOR LATCH WITH DEAD LOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 11, 1959 INVENTOR. ieeA/er/ BY J/ranalran ArraeA/zw'.

April 18, 1961 F. J. RUSSELL sunmc DOOR LATCH WITH DEAD LOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 11, 1959 INVENTOR. FRED J. RUSSELL ATTOR N EYS United States SLIDING DOOR LATCH WITH DEAD LOCK Fred J. Russell, 3800 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,486

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-113) The invention relates to door locks and has particular reference to a door lock especially designed for a sliding door and which incorporates supplemental features including a dead lock mechanism and a structure such as to permit the varying of the back-set of the hub. This is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 648,695, filed March 26, 1957 now Patent No. 2,924,475 issued February 9, 1960.

Recent trends in building construction and especially in the construction of residences has pointed to a very marked degree toward economy in the use of space. Although sliding doors have been known and used for a great many years, there has been a marked increase in the employment of sliding doors in current building projects because of the fact that they make it possible to employ tight spaces to better advantage. As a consequence the accelerating use of sliding doors has given rise to new wants and problems in connection with latches for such doors. To a large extent heretofore sliding doors have been used for passage only and therefore have not needed any more than a flush door opening pull or handle. In some instances simplified passage latch sets have sufficed. With an increasing demand, however, for sliding door latches capable of latching a door in closed position, new demands have pointed to a need for sliding door latches capable of barring the door from being opened on one side. Where such doors need to be barred it also becomes advisable to so construct the latch or lock set that it cannot be opened by unauthorized persons. From the very nature of the sliding door arrangement dead latching sets, though needed, have presented design problems not readily met by techniques heretofore employed.

The trend has been to a large extent to employ metal frames for certain types of doors which in some instances are steel and in other instances may be aluminum. The usual practice is to drill a hole in the frame for the lockspindle at a desired location while the frame is still at the shop. Extruded shapes and moldings of which the frames are made vary to a considerable degree among manufacturers and the location of the hole for the spindle is by no means uniform. It is, of course, undesirable for many reasons to enlarge on the job a wrongly located hole and it is extremely impractical to entirely relocate the hole in some instances where a particular sliding door latch has the spindle location so positioned that it does not match the hole made for it in the door frame. These circumstances, unless remedied, result in a considerable loss of time on the job when the installation is made and are often productive of unsightly and undesirable alterations.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved sliding door latch of high quality construction which comprises a relatively complete latch in that it is one capable of latching a sliding door in closed position and which can be easily manipulated so as to latch and unlatch the door by means of a handle or lever sufiiciently compact to prozsssasa Patented Apr. 18, 1961 Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sliding door latch which is compact in its structural arrangement thereby making it possible to install the latch in light-weight sliding doors of relatively thin section but which though compact will be positive in its action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sliding door latch which has a certain flexibility in the mechanism permitting the operating spindle to be shifted to a considerable degree either toward or away from the edge of the door, depending on the location of holes already made, without impairment in any way of the normal structure and operating character of the device. t

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sliding door latch which can be shifted to latch and unlatched position and which has built into it a dead locking arrangement such as to bar provide a new and improved sliding door latch which employs a hook capable of being extended to latched position and retracted to a concealed position and which in extended position will retract to withdrawn position upon sliding impact of the latch hook when extended to avoid damage to the mechanism.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a sliding door and door jamb showing the sliding door latch in elevation.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of interior portions of the door latch in extended position.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 with portions partialy broken away and showing the latch'in retracted position.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of parts of the device on the near side of a vertical center line as viewed in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an exploded view of parts on the far side of a vertical center line.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the sliding door lock mounted in a door frame with the spindle at an extreme left-hand location nearest the edge of the frame.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the spindle at an intermediate location.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the spindle at an extreme right-hand location farthest removed from the edge of the door.

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are fragmentary side elevational views of door frames showing the spindle holes at locations corresponding respectively to Figures 7, 8 and 9.

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 7 e )7 r m p A pose of illustration there is shown a sliding door 10 adapted to fit against-a door jarnb 11. The sliding door is' provided with an edgewiseextending opening 12 at an edge 13 of the door. A recess. 14 is located injthe door.

jamb immediately opposite the opening 12 for the acfcomr modation'of a latch plate 15 serving its conventional purpose. The latch mechanism is shown contained in a frame or housing lo comprising opposite parallel side walls '17 and 13 and atransverse end wall 19. The side walls are.

shown attached to the end wall by means of pins 2i} and areattached to each other by spacing'pins 21. The side walls and-end walls when assembled form in effect a chamber 22" therebetween for reception of catch means comprising sundry working parts of the device. When in position in the door 10, the end wall'19 is flush with an edge 23 .of the door. Reces'sedftrim plates 24 and 25' provide fo'ra finger'hold in opening and closing the door and further provide space for a suitable latch handle, not shown. i 1 I q V l; p i Located in'the lower portion ofthe chamber 22 is a pair ofpivot plates' 26' and 27. These pivot plates are elongated in'character, is clearly apparentin Figure 2, and are'pivotallymounted at lower ends thereof to the '7 side walls 17 and 18 by means of "a pivot pin 28.

' At theu'pper left portion of the pivot plates, as shown in Figure 2, for example, a latch pivot pin 29 serves to in a hub slot 60, the hub is rotated in a clockwise directio This rotation elevates the link 47 which in turn pulls upon the cam plate 50 causing engagement of the camway 54 with the pin 59. Lifting the'pin as described serves to provide a pull upon the boss 58 which fitting in the pivot slot 32 lifts the latch hook to the position shown in Figure. 2. g

It will. be noted that'there are provided in the pivot plates 26 and 27, respectively,oblique slots6l and 62.1 At

the upper ends of the slots areintercommunioating dead lock recesses 63 and 64.. When the pin 59 isielevated by manipulation of the hub in the manner described to the upper ends of theslotsfil and 62, -a coiled spring 66, a pressing at one end against the pin 29 and at the other 7 extends at its opposite ends slidably within the oblique.

attach a latch hook 30 to the pivot plates. As shown to good effect in Figure 6, the latch hook'30 is provided with on inner extensionSfl in which is an elongated pivot slot I 32 which is adapted toreceive the latch pivot pin 29.

a A hair spring 33 having one end 34 pressed against a bracket 35 of the pivot plate 26 has a bent end 36 received in aisprin'g notch 37 'in the latch hook. The tension in the sp-ring' tends normally torotatekthe latch hook 30 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed, for example, in Figure 2.

In the end wall 19 is an opening l9'th rough which the hook extends. An opening 15 is provided in the latch plate 15 for reception of the hook in extendedposition.

To move the latch hook between the extended position shown'inFigure 'iZ and the: retracted position shown in Figure 4, there is provided 'a 'ho'ok actuator linkage comprising a'hub-memb er 40 which is received both rotatably and slidablyv at its oppositeends within hub recesses41 and '42, respectively, in the sidewalls 17- and 18, Protrusions 43 serve to prevent the hub member from being pushed out of the hub recesses. The hub member has cylindrical projections 44 at the ends betweenrwhichis an enlargement-'45 which assists in positioningthe hub member in the recesses.

Extending radially utwardly from the hub member an arm 46 at theouter end of which is attached the upp'er end of a 'link' 47 "bvmeans of a pin 48. At its lower end the linkis vattached by means of-a pin 49 to acam plate 50. The cam plate in turn is pivotally mounted by aid of a pivot aperture 51 to the latch, pivot pin 29. j

In the camplate is a cam opening 52'which serves end against the boss 58, tends to urge the pin 59 in a direction from right to left as viewed in Figure 2, thereby to enter the dead locking recesses 63 and 64.' It will be appreciated that by reason of the length of the pin 59 it open recess 166, it permits a tip 67 of the hook to fall.

behind an appropriate portion of the latch plate 15, as

shown in Figure l.

Whenthe latch hook is to be returned from extended position to retracted position, the hub member 40 is rotated in -a counterclockwise direction. This serves to depress the link 47 andthe cam plate 50. As the cam plate is depressed, the camway 53 pressing against the pin 59 tends to cam the pin rearwardly, thereby compressing the spring65 until the pin 59 is movedrfrorn leftto'right far enough to fallout of the head lock recesses 63 and 64.

Thereafter by continuing rotation of the hub40, the pin '59 is causedto slide down'the oblique =slot 6 1and 62 aided by action of the hair spring 33. As a consequence, movement of the pin 59 downwardly moves the boss 58 'ina similar direction and causes the latch hook 30 to be ro- I tated in a counterclockwise direction from the position of,

V Figure (2 to the position of Figure 4. The hair spring to define intersecting camways. 53 and 54. To, attach the cam plate to the latch hook there is provided a lock i pin retainer block 56 having a slot 57 at one end adapted to receive the l atoh pivot pin 29. Projecting outwardly from one side of the lockpin retainer block is a boss 58 which is adapted to fit slidably within the pivot slot 32 of the latch .hook 30. A pin 59 extends t rough the boss-and also through the cam'opening 52 in the cam plate. This sarnepin 59 also extends outwardly at'both t ends to'a location 'flnshwith the outside surfaces of the sidewalls 17 and 18, as shown in Figure 3. .Asqua-re.

aperture 17' in the wall 17 and 18' in the wall 18 provides access, to the pin 59'an dwaspace within whichthe pin canmove. h a 7 p 7. M

Fronrthe retractedposition of the latchhook shown in V Figure '4by manipulation of the hub member40 through the agency of a conventional handlegnot shown, 1 inserted.

will tend to retain the latch hook in the retracted position until lifted therefrom by manipulation of the hub member. I

It is to be noted that because of the-linkage attached 7 to the hub member it is permissibleto shift the hub memher to virtually any position between opposite ends of the hub recesses 41 and 42. This permits considerable'latitude in the location of the trim plate's24 and 25. Though shifted to a considerable extent as described, the operation of the latch mechanism'toshift the latch book between extended and retracted position is in no way altered or modified.

Figure 10 showsv a fragmentary section of the frame of I ascreen door, the frame being identified by thereference character 10a. As here shown, a hole is located with respect to an edge 76 of the door at a distance indicated by the dimension a. According to well-known practice a conventional handle after having a spindle thereon (not shown) extends through the hole to engage the hub slot 60 in the hub,- thereby to rotate .the hub to'latching and unlatching positions. This resultsin the hole .75 being determinative of a hub station. Figure'll .shows adoor frame 16b wherein a hole 77 serving the same. purpose as the hole 75 is'located with respect to an edge 78 of the door by a distance indicated by the dimensionb. In

Figure 12 still another frame 100 is shown with .ahole 79 therein spaced from an edge 80 of the door by a distance indicated by the dimension 0. The hole 79 also serves the same purpose as the hole 75. The hole 79 is farthest removed from the edge of therespective door frame and the hole 75 is closest to'the door frame.-

A typical section through a molding of the type frequently encountered is illustrated in Figure 13 wherein it will be found that the frame 1012 has opposite sides 81 and 82 joined by the edge 78 and which includes an extended section 83, and a Neoprene liner 84 which assists in holding a glass 85 in place. This is illustrative of only an example of a means providing a space 86 for reception of a sliding door lock case.

- In Figure 7 the sliding door latch is shown mounted as it would be inframe 16a. It will be noted in this instance that the hub member 40 is shifted to the leftmost end of the hub recess 41, as viewedinFigure 7, because the hole 75 is located farthest toward the left. This shift is permitted by the freedom of movement permitted between the arm 46, the link 47, and the cam plate 50. None of the operating parts, however, need to be changed to make this possible, except that, if desired, a minor adjustment may be made with respect to the adjusting bolt 70.

Similarly, the latch may be inserted in the frame 1015, as illustrated in Figure 8, wherein the hub member 40 will be located intermediate opposite ends of the hub recess 41 because of the intermediate location of the hole 77. It will be understood, of course, that the hub recess 42 previously described is immediately opposite the recess 41. Here again there need be no change in the operating parts except that the link 47 will be shifted slightly in an angular direction and that on occasions there might be some slight shift in the angular position of the arm 46 to a negligible degree.

Also in Figure 9 the latch is mounted in a position such that the hub member 40 is at the extreme right-hand end of the hub recess 41 because of the hole 79 being located farthest toward the right and wherein it is retained as previously described by the protrusions 43. Here again there is no appreciable shift in the angular position of the arm 46 and only a slight change in the tilt of the link 47 without any other shift in the normal relationship of the remaining operating parts.

Accordingly, it will be understood that no matter where the spindle hole may be located, the latch can be fitted to the hole location in the frame without the necessity of any internal adjustment, the trim plates 24 and 25 previously described will always provide a neat-appearing fit in the hole no matter where it may be located, and no change, adjustment, enlarging or resetting of the spindle bolt hole is needed.

To add to the effectiveness of a proper installation resulting in a snug fit of the latch hook in engagement with the latch plate or strike plate, an adjustment is provided to move the latch hook toward or away from the latch plate in extended position. This is accomplished by employment of a bolt 70 which has a head end 71 rotatably mounted in the transverse end wall 19 and has a threaded end threadably secured in the bracket 35. When the bolt is rotated, the head end remains fixed'and the bracket 35 in consequence is moved toward the right or left depending upon the direction of rotation of the bolt. If movement be toward the right, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, the pivot plates 26 and 27 as a consequence will be rotated in a clockwise direction about the pin 28. This causes a displacement of the pin 29 toward the right which results in drawing the tip 67 of the latch bolt to a position closer to the transverse end wall 19 of the housing. Conversely, the position of the latch hook can be adjusted whereby to move the tip further toward the left by rotation of the bolt 70 in an opposite direction, causing a displacement of the pin 29 toward the left.

There has accordingly been described herein a complete sliding door latch structure which is capable of being manipulated from either side, if desired. Under those circumstances the conventional handle with an ap propriate spindle or shaft would be provided on both sides of the door. The structure, however, is one which, if desired, could employ a handle on one side only, in which event a trim plate on the opposite side would be closed so as to inhibit access to the hub member. In such an arrangement the latch is proof against tampering by action of the dead locking elements which would prevent unlatching the latch hook by some instrument from the outside. It will be appreciated that because of having a structure and arrangement as herein described, the door latch can serve just as readily on either edge of a sliding door, depending upon the direction in which the door is madeto slide. Fitting trim plates to the structure need not necessitate any departure from conventional procedure. Further by constructing the latch hook as shown with the extension 31 of about one-half the thickness of the latch hook, space is provided to receive the lock pin retainer block 56 and the cam plate, thereby making possible a very thin structure which permits the latch to be used in relatively thin sliding doors without a weakening of the door adjacent the opening provided for reception of the latch. Sufiicient freedom of movement is built into the combined mechanical elements so as to avoid the necessity of close tolerances either with respect to fabrication, assembly, or installation on the door without impairment of positive action over expected long periods of use.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. in a sliding door latch combination, a housing hav- 7 ing a vertical outer face adapted to be mounted flush with an edge of the door, a latch hook movably mounted on the housing and shiftable between an unlatching and a latching position by extending outwardly and inwardly of said outer face of said housing, an elongated recess means in the housing having a long axis thereof generally transverse relative to the outer face of the housing, operating means comprising a hub rotatably mounted in said recess means and slidable therein to a plurality of operable locations relative to the edge of the door, means forming a hub' station on said door located at one of said operable locations, and a jointed connection between said hub and said latch hook operable in all positions of the hub in said recess means whereby said latch hook is shifted to said latching and unlatching positions by rotation of said hub at one of said operable locations within said recess means without change in the jointed connection.

2. In a sliding door latch combination a housing having an outer edge, a latch hook tiltably mounted on the housing, an elongated recess means in the housing having a long axis thereof generally transverse relative to the outer edge, operating means comprising a hub rotatably mounted in said recess means and slidable therein to a plurality of operative locations relative to said outer edge, and a jointed connection between said hub and said latch hook operable in all positions of the hub in said recess means a hub positioning means on the door in one of said operable locations whereby said latch hook is tilted to latching and unlatching positions by rotation of said hub at said one of said operative locations within said recess means without change in the jointed connection.

3. A sliding door latch combination adapted to be mounted in a door at a location adjacent an edge thereof for engagement with a strike plate, said combination comprising means forming an opening in the door at the edge thereof and a housing receivable in said opening, a latch hook movably mounted on the housing and shiftable between an unlatching position and a latching position by extending outwardly and inwardly of the edge of the door, an elongated recess means in the housing having a long axis thereof generally parallel to the plane of.

I movement of the latch hook, operating means comprisinga hub rotatably mounted in said recess means, said hub having ,.a plurality of operable locations throughout thelengthv of said recess means, a jointed hook operating connection between'the hub and the latch hook operable in all locations of the hub inthe recess means whereby said latch hook is shifted to said latching andiunlatching positions, and atleast one handle supporting trim plate of selected form and size mounted on the door at a selected positionvrelative to said opening and adjacent said recess means at one of said plurality of locations of the hub'in' said recess nacanswhereby'said latch hub is r a 8 adapted to be moved'into-a hook operating location in said. recess means corresponding to the location of said handle, supportingatrim plate on the door without change in the jointed hook operating connection} 7 i 'Referencescited.in the filelofthis .1

UNITED STATES PATENTS;

2,701,157 Le Bon III I 1736,1851 Collar t v ;Feb.2s, 1956 2,742,309 Hillg re'n 4 Apr. v17, 1956 2,789,852 rqzs, 1957 

